The Perpetual Samsara (Part 2)

Instantaneously, the doorway to Cocytus opened thereby welcoming the crew into the domain of the Sovereign which was already encountering the beginning of the end.

"Kazuhiko Castle…Tatsuya City…are we too late?" Reina asked in disbelief as the worst case scenario was already unfolding below. The Tacet army was already invading, signifying the invasion of the Abyss Order.

Reina's grand estate built upon one of the highest mountain peaks within all of Cocytus was under siege. The disfigured monsters of various abnormal shapes and sizes were already marching across her territory with savage intent as fires and ruination were left in their wake. Populating the many monitors within the command center were visages of the Cardinal Four trying to push back the monsters as much as they could. The duration of the fight must have dragged on for an extended period that must have far outlasted previous predictions; after all, the axis of time flowed differently there than any axis in the mortal realm.

Yaten-douji and Zion were struggling to hold the line against the foul beasts whereas Ashura Gozen waned in her berserker-like combat prowess. Even the great sorceress, Garuda, was struggling to support her allies. This left the Sovereign to ponder just how many weeks or months…or potentially years had passed since the Tacet invaded while they were stuck doing repairs for The Last Word.

"No time to waste figuring out who did what. The time to fight is now!" Akatsuki clapped her hands thereby motivating everyone to drop into action.

"Balwisyall nescell Gungnir tron…"

"Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri tron…"

"Killter Ichaival tron…"

"Zeios Igalima raizen tron…"

"Various Shul Shagana tron…"

"Seilien coffin Airgetlam tron…"

"Rei Shénshòujìng rei zizzl…"

"Life Fiber Synchronize, Kamui Senketsu!"

"Life Fiber Synchronize, Kamui Junketsu!"

The melodies of Hibiki, Tsubasa, Chris, Kirika, Shirabe, and Miku of the Symphogears resonated together in perfect harmony as valkyries were adorned in their signature armor sets. In addition, Ryuko and Satsuki were decorated by the full nature of their Kamui armor to follow suit. Even though five of them were carrying precious cargo within their bellies, that did not stop them from wanting to step up and fight against the monsters threatening the sanctity of Cocytus.

They knew the risks they were about to face. The ladies were well accustomed to fighting these foul beasts. The Tacet - amalgamated abominations birthed from the void taking on the forms of various eldritch monstrosities and husks of divine beasts from the ages of yore corrupted by hatred and madness courtesy of their Progenitor, Acedia. Collectively, the maidens of war knew the weight of their responsibility and trained non-stop ever since their last major battle. Now was the time to demonstrate that growth.

"Let's go all out everyone!" Hibiki declared with a mighty cry as a shade of orange-yellow aura fueled by phonic gain gathered around her body as did the respective colors belonging to the other gear users. A small countdown started for each of them.

"Hey you wild sisters, wanna have the first course while we get ready?" Chris smirked confidently towards Satsuki and Ryuko who only nodded in response.

In a blinding twist of crimson and cerulean streaks of light, Ryuko and Satsuki cleaved their way towards the battlefield in a descending crescendo of wild fury and blazing hope. Taking notice of the light show above their heads, the Cardinal Four fixed their exhausted stares to the sky seeing The Last Word looming above along with the oncoming light trails. Sensing imminent danger, the beasts that could manage to fly quickly soared towards their location as the twisting brilliance approached. In no time, at least 100 of them were caught up in a twisted double-helix of blinding radiance that was the result of the two sisters dancing through their formation.

Ryuko using her twin scissor blades and Satsuki using Bakuzan were cleaving through the aerial vanguard with little to no difficulty as the body count continued to climb. Their sheer speed was carving up the Tacet faster than they could regroup and overwhelm them with the numbers game. Black pools of blood and flaming mists of dust littered the sky as they continued their work. However, just as they continued their rapid descent, a strong suction of air tried to yank them from the skies as a giant colossus towering more than 60 meters in the sky absorbed the ashes of its brethren to strengthen itself to try and stop the two.

Just as the creature went to reach them, one of its fingers was severed down to the bone in a flash. Then it lost another batch of fingers, after that was its hand, and then its arm. As a pained howl escaped its fang-filled maw, traces of pink and silver light were seen falling away from it. Shirabe had thrown two pink saw blades from her armor and launched them at the creature while Maria turned her blade into a long, serrated steel whip to sever off her fair share of limbs. Just as the beast went to roar again, a beam of light blasted its head off which was a ray beam attack discharged by Miku. Ryuko and Satsuki turned to see the gear users upgraded directly into their X-Drive forms as their auras burned with greater phonic gain than ever before.

Another titan elected to rise up and join the fray before being assaulted by a ridiculous storm of bullets and missiles courtesy of Chris. The monster was punctured with holes but was still lumbering around. The ever enthusiastic gunsmith then proceeded to change her weapon into a ginormous longbow before knocking a bright crimson arrow of concentrated energy then releasing it to punch another hole through the beast that essentially crippled it completely.

A multi-headed titan came lumbering over moving aberrantly without further rhyme or reason. It continued to stomp towards their location without any care of stepping over its smaller allies beneath its feet. Just as the creature went for the women, a blur of blue and green energies bisected each other's paths across the surface of the fowl beast thereby knocking it backwards. As it stumbled, those same colored trails of light spiraled up from the base of its legs then leapt towards its arms on opposite sides leaving trails of gore in its wake. The sources of those lights were none other than Tsubasa and Kirika who were hacking away at the foul beast using their blades without missing a beat. They cut across in one final cross-slash decapitating the many heads of the monster in one masterfully crafted sweep before the creature descended into nothingness once more.

Ryuko, Satsuki, Maria, Shirabe, Miku, Chris, Kirika and Tsubasa landed on the ground together as thousands of more of the foul beasts of all varying shapes and sizes elected to form up and try to take them on. As the girls channeled their fighting spirits about to take them on, one four-armed juggernaut elected to stand before them with thick armor indicating that their blades or bullets would not break through. However, blades and bullets were the only things fighting on their side.

A mighty glow of orange-yellow light burst onto the scene causing a major impact that scattered a huge chunk of the horde in a splash of black mist. In the midst of the dark cloud of Tacet stood a solitary figure burning with the culmination of an indomitable, sovereign spirit - Hibiki Tachibana. The God-Slaying Fist took up a fighting pose fueled by the power of her determination as she faced the juggernaut.

The armored monster came at her with great momentum. Its fists were ready to bash her body into the scarred ground beneath her feet, the crushing of her bones and mangling of her flesh would serve as an appetizing delight to the beast's desire for destruction. However, it would not have that opportunity. Just as it encroached on her position, Hibiki threw a jab that was so fast that only a trained eye would be able to perceive it. In fact, out of the girls standing around, Satsuki was able to see the motion through from beginning to end, whereas Tsubasa and Maria were able to sense it; the others managed to catch a subtle idea of it at best. As a result, the juggernaut dissolved into giblets.

Seeing one of their best warriors fall, the other monsters were stirred up and incensed to attack Hibiki. Just as they did, the Sovereign Fist rushed towards them and unleashed a hellfire flurry of strikes with her punches that seemingly multiplied with every jab thereby instant-killing every single one of them. The body count for the female increased by the hundreds for each added second her combo went uninterrupted. Just as Hibiki was coming down from the machine gun high, the horde seemingly gathered like a pack of wolves and rushed towards the girls in a major stampede. The gear users along with the kamui sisters rallied together to prepare for the onslaught when suddenly, the creatures were being hoisted into the air.

"Honestly, you children are so eager to show off for the boys. Yes, you've grown, but try not to get ahead of yourselves. You need to live a few lifetimes to at least manage to reach this level," a chastising yet sarcastic voice echoed overhead taking the form of none other than the True Ancestor, Arcueid.

Holding one hand up in the sky, the vampire princess drew thousands of Tacet towards a black vortex of super mass energy. She altered the behavior of the gravitational force to target the frequency of the plane of reality that their very existence resonated with. This allotted her the ability to consume the creatures within the black hole without risking the safety of her allies. As the beasts were effectively sucked up into its clutches, she closed her fist tightly causing the gravity ball to condense and collapse on itself before detonating which sent a shockwave killing clusters of Tacet soaring through the sky.

The Ultimate One gracefully tapped the frozen surface of the ground beneath her feet. In the background during her descent, more of the auspicious beasts of the void came rushing in towards her. Undaunted by their approach, the vampire princess merely flashed a confident smirk upon her flawless features as she pirouetted in place. She spun around in a full rotation at least three times before stopping abruptly to snap her fingers. The encroaching horde persisted with their advance before great pools of light activated beneath their feet.

"Banish into the darkness from whence thee came," she expressed with a graceful grin. Upon her beckoning, pillars of fiery light exploded from beneath them roaring towards the cloudy skies. Exploding from below, the chasms of holy energy pushed through the masses like rising flights of stairs as the multitudes were cleared away with little difficulty.

"Talk about overkill…" Chris remarked as she casually joined Arcueid's side.

"Oh nonsense, as if there should be mercy for mindless beasts such as these," she dismissed with a flip of her hair.

"Did you at least leave some for the rest of us?" Ryuko inquired as joined in the conversation, Satsuki only a small pace behind her.

"So much for testing the fruits of my own training," Tsubasa sighed with slight disappointment.

"Nonsense, you, Hibiki-chan, Shirabe-chan, and Ryuko-san are all pregnant. You should be resting anyways," Maria sighed.

"Yeah, leave it up to us desu!" Kirika cheerfully chimed in.

"We're carrying the children of the God-King, as if we could simply sit back while our precious friends are fighting for their lives," Hibiki shot back.

"Well have no fear children, it looks like you will each have your chance to show your growth. We have more incoming," Arcueid forewarned as new spawns of the beasts began to file in.

"Allow me to make it easier for you all," the True Ancestor expressed as she sauntered forward without a care in the world.

"I don't really need to use this, but I'm feeling rather charitable today. Attention all creatures in my sight, do not think but stand still," she invoked. It was in this moment that her eyes shimmered with murderous intent as the intensity of their gaze amplified with a commanding glint. 

Activating her Mystic Eyes of Enchantment, she forcefully dominated the senses of the entire horde within her range. Under that spellbinding, she robbed the ability to comprehend or react by any form of thought or instinct upon the Tacet with ease, essentially rendering them helpless. To the horde, it was as if they were formless ideas trapped within the womb of the void. It was like they were mere spawns without purpose, like Acedia's voice never reached them to begin with thereby rendering them no better than unfertilized eggs lying dormant within an untouched vessel.

"Now ladies, the diners have come to the table. Serve them the feast of your prowess and the indomitable will to overcome!"

As Arcueid led Ryuko, Satsuki and the musical Valkyries in a cadence of destruction against the mighty foes, the Cardinal Four were still pinned down by overwhelming numbers at the base of the sacred fortress belonging to their Sovereign.

"These assholes really don't know when to quit," Ashura Gozen remarked with a small grit of her teeth as various cuts and abrasions covered her body in various places that were slowly being healed.

"Yeah well…looks like something rattled their mystical feathers when that ship showed up," Yaten-doji remarked while kneeling on the ground to catch his breath beneath his battle mask.

"I can barely comprehend the mixture of energies emanating from that vessel, but for some reason I feel strangely at ease. Looking in the distance, quite a large number of the monsters were cleared out being bathed in those chasms of light," Zion analyzed beneath his heavy black armor.

"This battle is not over yet, I can sense a change in the air…the winds are blowing in our favor, yes…" Garuda expressed with a soft smile. Covered in sweat from overusing her mana, she should have lost the will to fight before anyone else given how the events unfolding before her eyes was vaguely familiar to her.

"This…was exactly the same scenario when my sisters and I faced certain annihilation by the hand of our mother. This feeling of powerlessness is all too familiar to me..yes…but I had you to bring me back from the brink. Will you do so again?"

Just then, a wave of crimson, aqua, and indigo breaths of flame, wind, and lightning spilled out and assaulted the hordes of creatures trying to encroach upon the Cardinal Four's location. The overwhelming light blinded the sight of the four protectors, but as it subsided, two silhouettes stood before them with swords in hand.

"Good grief, ya know Rei-chan…I always wanted to see where ya lived. Didn't think it'd be rundown like this," one voice politely teased.

"It just needs some sprucing up a bit, let us start by taking out the trash. You can manage that much, right Musa-chan?" the other voice responded in kind, providing a familiar warmth and sense of relief over the anxious Cardinal Four.

"Your Majesty?!" the four exclaimed in disbelief over the presence of the great Queen of Cocytus reunited with them for the first time in many years in Purgatory's time frame.

"Greetings my children, your Queen has finally come home. Forgive me for being gone for so long. Fret not, we shall attain victory on this day," Reina declared with serenity and ferocity in her words.

"Great Sovereign, it is good to see you again, but who is this with you?" Shugo inquired with a slight head tilt.

"A long time friend and sister in battle," Reina replied with a gentle smile.

"Wait…you mean this is…the Sword Maiden you told us stories of?" Yaten-doji inquired.

"She really is flesh and blood? Forgive me, but the way you spoke of her in stories made it almost hard to believe that someone existed that possessed sublime swordsmanship as you, milady," Zion gasped.

"The great Miyamoto Musashi, at long last, we can put a face to the legend herself, yes?" Garuda nodded with approval.

"Oya, oya…nice to know my reputation precedes me, but let's save all that talk for another time yeah? We got monsters to slay ya know?" Musashi smirked as she rolled her head around to flex her neck muscles.

"Indeed. We will catch up soon enough my loyal friends, but for now…rest, we shall take it from here," Reina said as she tightened the grip on Kanemitsu in her right hand. In a blink, both women disappeared from the view of the four generals rushing headlong into the fray of the frenzied Tacet.

In the wake of their disappearance were two trails of divine light. One bathed in a whirlwind of aqua and crimson while the other dyed with amber and amethyst. The mixture of color coalesced in both women moving faster than any form of perception could trace. In fact, the light itself were their respective auras left as mere echoes of their previous location. As the creatures moved on instinct to assault those trails, they found themselves consumed by the heat and intensity of the mighty trails reducing their very existence to the foundations of dust, blown away by the harsh winds of eternal winter consuming Cocytus.

Confused, perplexed and frustrated, various howls and shrieks of dismay permeated the air in a cacophony of deafening echoes that would shatter the eardrums of the unprotected and common mortals whisking them into madness and ruination. Those cries were swiftly silenced as numerous monsters found themselves bifurcated in a whirlwind of cuts.

When the females finally came into view of the Cardinal Four, it was almost like a scene cut from a theatrical production. Everything was happening so fast that the blurs of motion culminated in a feature-length production of lethargic gestures. The slow motion waltz of the two swordsmiths was showcased like an on-stage play. Two ballerinas danced through a midst of obstacles in their way never once losing their footing as they managed to hit every cue on time in perfect harmony. Reina with her longsword and Musashi with her twin katana were hacking away every single enemy as if their foreign obstruction made little difference to either one of them.

"It's like we're at some sort of concert…or…one of those stage plays your people occasionally performs during those festivals, Yaten-doji," Shugo expressed with admiration.

"Kabuki Theater? Yeah, I can definitely agree with you there," the great Oni nodded.

"So this is the power our Mistress holds using just her martial arts alone…and Lady Musashi is keeping up with her perfectly. They have yet to miss a single step with one another despite the difference in fighting styles," Zion complimented.

"It truly is fascinating. However, have either of you noticed that neither one of them has used any sort of special move or secret technique?" Garuda pointed out which only drew further admiration from the generals.

During the entire slaughterfest that unfolded before the eyes of the Cardinal Four, Musashi never activated her Noble Phantasm or her Mystic Eye. On the same note, Reina never used any of her signature techniques. The duo merely demonstrated the growth they each maintained while training with the sword. Simultaneously, they displayed the depths of their discipline and evolution with their martial prowess as they carved down the multitudes with little difficulty.

Unbeknownst to the heroes hacking away the hordes of Tacet invading the Cocytus domain, two shadows stood atop the hills overlooking the battlefield. The harshness of the frigid blizzard winds assailed their positions, stinging their bodies with the subzero temperatures, however neither one of them felt it. Instead, they calmly watched the battle unfold with indifferent, yet satisfied expressions upon their faces.

The first was a girl in her early twenties wearing a black and red, long-sleeved sailor uniform like she was a student straight from a high school. She had long, dark violet hair that was braided into an elongated ponytail, bangs parted offset in the middle with some of the fringe trailing over her right eye while the rest sauntered over the left. She had fearsome, predatory yellow eyes and an insidious grin filled with shark-like teeth.

The other female was a mature beauty with long, dusk-colored hair styled in a hime cut with purple eyes and a curvaceous body obscured by a sleeveless kimono. From the waist down, the dress expanded like an elaborate ball-gown from the 18th or 19th century in Europe. The pink dress was complemented by the binding of a rosemary cloth wrapped around her while a green sash was slung over her shoulder.

"Well they definitely aren't making this battle boring. I love the defiant ones, it's always amusing to see how much they willingly struggle before ultimately breaking down and falling apart under the weight of their own hypocrisy," the predator of the pair remarked with a wicked grin.

"Magane-san, have some restraint. You look like a wild animal when you smile like that," the more regal of the duo forewarned.

"Featherine-chan…come on, don't you find the idea of their suffering amusing? I mean look at them, they are trying so hard to fight a war they can't win!" Magane whined.

"Perhaps…but the time has come for us to show them the weight of their ignorance," Featherine expressed, suggesting that they lead into the next phase of their assault. Magane merely shook her head in agreement before joining Featherine's side as both women raised their left hands above their heads.

"The true advent of the Abyss begins now," they spoke in unison before snapping their fingers in perfect synchronization.

The surviving legions of Tacet resonated with dark plumes of mist-like energy trails wafting from their vessels before they were collectively absorbed into the skies above the region. Several masses of concentrated, deep violet, malevolent clusters sprawled out for all to behold as the innumerable ratio of enemies were devoured inside the sinister grip. Within seconds, colossal entities that far outclassed the magnitude of size of the previous titans began to manifest.

Amalgamations of wheel-like monstrosities appeared. These ring-shaped monsters were shining wheels of blackened steel carrying undertones of lime green indicative of the dark arts that created them. Thousands upon thousands of red eyes that were reminiscent of the demon pillars were visible for the warriors to see as the wheels linked with one another in a chain-link fence formation like someone drew the infinity symbol and expanded the loops by at least tenfold.

"Soar Ophanim of False Light, consume all who oppose us!" Magane and Featherine commanded before vanishing into darkness.

The beast multiplied into at least 20 or more as their mighty shrieks consumed the air and rocked the foundation of Reina's palace to its core. The surrounding city of Reina's palace mixed with dying Tacet and numerous warriors from the different tribes of Cocytus repelling the foreigners fixated their gazes toward the sky. The indescribable terrors that polluted the cloudy heavens above shook the area with their violating cries of destructive peril. From there, the Falsified Ophanim steamrolled their way into their attack formation as beams of outer darkness spiraled towards the city and the Last Word without any further delay.

"INCOMING!" voices declared from the ground troops as they hurriedly retreated from the frontlines and scooped up as many non-combatants and wounded as possible to get to safety.

The Gear users, Ryuko, Satsuki and Arcueid were also in the midst of helping cover the retreat by repelling a few straggling Tacet that aimed to take advantage of the panic. Towards the main gates of the central castle, Musashi activated her Noble Phantasm while Reina summoned the Tengu armored silhouette from her Ultima Stance to prepare to protect the Cardinal Four too. However, the need for such measures never came.

"Engage all energy output towards the deflector shields, move the Last Word into position," Alexis started with a calm composure as she entered a variety of commands into the center console.

"Got it, time to see what your modern ingenuity and my runes and arcane arts can do," Semiramis nodded whilst invoking her mana into the flying fortress.

The titanic hull of the Last Word lumbered into position thereby intercepting the flight path of the energy projectiles and the Ophanim. Just as the ship gravitated towards its position, a widespread barrier spawned from the vessel. A dome of mystical energy encapsulated the entire region under assault by those monsters. In seconds, the outer darkness slammed directly upon the shield causing the entire area to quake; however, the might of the shield held true as it effectively repelled the dark energies thereby allowing everyone within its embrace the comfort of its protection.

"Welp, time to get to work. Ya ready, lil' bro?" spoke the confident demeanor of the Crimson Envoy, holding Svarog over his shoulder while flexing his neck from side to side.

"Yeah, it's been a bit since I had a nice warm-up. So, how do you wanna play this one out?" the Son of Mercer responded as he armored himself up within the guise of the Janus Armor while reaching out to his right to summon one of his weapons.

"Ruthless Aggression, plain as day. Don't give 'em another chance to breathe. Which toy are ya bringin' to the party?"

"Well…when you put it that, guess I'll kick it back old school but with that fresh twist."

The Stormbringer summoned the dullard blade of Morana that was oozing a frosty mist of energy, resonating with the environment of the original spirit's home domain. As if fueled by the entirety of Cocytus and linked directly with its original Progenitor, Raizo invoked the blade's awakening into the intimidating two-handed chainsword that was about half his body's stature. He effortlessly twirled it around in his hand ascertaining the full weight and balance of it.

"Oh that's shiny," Akaro observed.

"Yeah, Morana took this shape when I was fighting that Bellona chick. I haven't had a chance to really get to know the new one till yet."

"What do you call this one?"

"Hmm…it seems to have a strong affinity for winter given how it's reacting to Cocytus…."

"Give it a fancy name; something that sounds so badass as whole, but you cut it short for the readers."

"Okay um…how about…Diamond Dust Rebellion - Yorukage?"

"There we go, and its pet name is like Yoru-chan or something."

"Right…sure…well, anyway, time to get a workout in with Yorukage."

"I'll go this way and you go that way."

"Heard that."

The two brothers emanated crimson glows around their bodies before blinking out of sight from atop the hull of the Last Word. The streaks of lightning coursed through the skies ignited the clamoring darkness trying to consume the realm by the presence of the Tacet and the Abyss Order. Just then, the streaks of light separated from one another as they encountered the Ophanim head-on.

The God-King brought Svarog to bear as he carved his blade across the body of the first beast. He danced across the immense surface of the broad body of the creature, dragging Svarog behind him as he cut out every single eyeball on the first ring in an instant before leaping to the next and so on. In a quick breath, the first creature was decimated as he glided to the next one.

Opposite of his brother, Raizo emulated his brother's approach for the second beast mimicking the same action. However, as he dragged Yorukage behind him, trails of ice reaching the point of absolute zero were left in his wake thereby impaling the beast with frigid ice that froze its very concept. As he dashed away from it, the first victim of his wake was left to rot away in diamond dust and scatter into the winds of the realm.

The brothers were then carving up their next set of victims in much of the same fashion one after the other like it was a domino effect. At some point, Akaro released the might of his flames emanating from his burning spirit as the mighty God-King of the Ryujin in tandem with the black winter night of the Crusader of Destiny. This revolutionary song of ice and fire culminated with a mighty rainfall of death and dismemberment of the ferocious Ophanim and their abhorrent incursion. As the brothers were dispatching these foes with little difficulty, the heroes below were able to witness their miraculous prowess.

"Hmph…so he's actually done it," Yaten-douji observed, feeling the unique power coming from Akaro even at ground level.

"Yes…even I can sense it, a king has been crowned. Congratulations, Great Dragon of the East, the salvation of your people has finally come," Zion nodded in admiration.

"Hnnggh…damn…it's really making my blood boil in all the right ways too. I can feel every swing he makes with his blade in hand. Damn this is making me want to fuck right now. Holy shit…" Ashura Gozen boldly expressed throwing all filters to the wind which caused two of her fellow generals to just shrug and sigh in response.

"He's…also different, yes… He's stronger than before, and brimming with the essence of life. The boy has become the storm. He is the lightning blazing through the rain, the arc that joins the earth and sky…haa…this feeling in my chest, this warmth…" Garuda spoke in what could be understood as nonsensical poetry to those who listened; however, in her own unique way, she felt an admiration and desire fusing together projected towards the Child of Light breaking the heavens above.

"Heh, these kids over there are just showin' off, ain't they, Rei-chan?" Musashi remarked with a little smug grin, but the Sovereign in question merely folded her arms over while nodding her head in approval.

"I raised those boys."

The remaining batch of creatures were driven beyond sanity and control as they relinquished berserking cries of fury and destructive intent. The brothers stood shoulder to shoulder with one another atop the hull of the Last Word. They held their blades over their shoulders with calm and collected focus.

"How about we finish this off in style, lil' bro?" Akaro proposed with a sly smirk.

"The old Unyielding Finale?" Raizo raised a brow at that suggestion.

"Nah, nah…let's do something new. Might be a trace amount, but since we're really related in some crazy ass way, I'm sure a tiny bit of Ryu-jin is somewhere in that fucked up DNA of yours. Here, lemme use a bit of my new God-King powers to give ya a hand."

Akaro reached out with his left hand covered by the golden scale mail attached to his arm. He patted Raizo on the back and instantly transferred a small batch of his energy into his brother to give him the ability to comprehend one of the Envoy's trademark techniques.

"Now then…shall we?"

"Ah shit…hang on a sec, our banter gave the assholes time to fire off the darkness beam thingy again."

"Well that's no good…I can just-"

"Nah Aniki, I got this one."

Raizo stepped forward with the Yorukage blade in hand. He pulled the trigger action that was just under the crossguard causing the weapon to rev up like an engine. In that moment, he channeled some of his strength into the sword which caused the blade to morph into a large organic-looking monstrosity of a black wolf's head with blue eyes. The weapon snarled like a rabid wolf ready to strike its prey as the phantasmal darkness closed in towards their location.

"All right then…let's do this. Devour, Yorukage!"

The Crusader pointed the weapon forward as the head of the wolf lunged at the dark energy with its jaws wide open. As soon as the outer darkness barrelled towards them, the potency of the attack was consumed by the maws all at once thereby channeling the energy back towards the Stormbringer.

"Foreign Energy Source detected, analyzing source… Subject assimilated via Devour technique… Processing… Creating Countermeasures… Proposal, initiating Siphoning Fate…error, name convention invalid… Due to the evolution of Morana, Siphoning Fate is no longer viable. Now applying a new protocol: Lycan Feast - Gluttony."

Information was filling Raizo's subconscious from the Janus Armor as he continued to use Devour to absorb the oncoming attack. He was perplexed over what his armor was telling him, but he knew that such details would come later.

"Dammit…just do whatever it takes already," he said to himself through gritted teeth.

"Outer Darkness digested, countermeasure complete. Fusing energy absorbed via Devour with borrowed energy from external sources. Outer Existential Erasure maneuver at the ready… Execute."

At that time, Yorukage returned to its original shape but spiraling with miasmic indigo energy bleeding black ice with sparks of electricity encompassing its broad edge.

"Heh…oh boy, this is gonna be good," Raizo chuckled.

"Nice little show there, now ya ready?" Akaro inquired as he held his blade high above his head with crimson and gold radiance spiraling around it.

"Yeah…let's do this, Aniki!"

"Crimson Dragon Flash!" the brothers exclaimed at once. At that moment, two dragons were released from their blades. A massive column of crimson energy in the shape of the dragon was released by Akaro while a black dragon with indigo energy came from Raizo. The dueling serpents coiled around each other in a double-helix flight path that blanketed the Ophanim's location thereby obliterating their existence fundamentally and erasing their amalgamated presence from the narrative. By extension, their disturbance was erased from the atmosphere surrounding the palace and the encompassing city thus allowing the sky to revert to a calm serenity of night bathed in the glow of a red and violet aurora.

"All in a day's work," Akaro smiled.

"Yep, now that was stylish," Raizo agreed. The two brothers shared a small fist bump that caused a soft rumble of thunder in the realm before they walked back inside the ship. With that, the forces of the Abyss Order were repelled for the day giving Cocytus the victory. Now was the time to reconvene and discuss the next move before the next battle.